Weekly Political Roundup

I wrote at length yesterday of the disappointing New York same-sex marriage ruling. One new development is that lawyers in Massachusetts are now saying the ruling effectively prohibits New York same-sex couples from marrying in Massachusetts. Massachusetts law prevents out-of-state couples from marrying there if their home state does not permit their marriage. I’m no lawyer, but my interpretation of the New York ruling is that it doesn’t prohibit same-sex marriage so much as declare that the legislature is not obligated to permit it. So the New York-Massachusetts saga, like that of the Yankees and Red Sox, may yet go extra innings.

But enough strained sports metaphors. Here’s what’s been happening elsewhere:

• The other big story was that Georgia Supreme Court also voted against same-sex marriage yesterday, reinstituting a ban that a lower court had struck down on a technicality.
• Opponents of same-sex marriage in Arizona filed a petition for a constitutional ban not only of same-sex marriage, but also of civil unions and even partner benefits for public employees.
• In Illinois, election officials said opponents of same-sex marriage did not collect enough valid signatures to put a question on a non-binding referendum this fall. The conservative Illinois Family Institute is challenging the count.
• The Pennsylvania House of Representatives and Senate could not decide on common language for a proposed constitutional same-sex marriage ban before their summer recess. This means the measure is dead for now. They have missed the deadline for a ballot question in either 2007 or 2008, and without voter approval of a ballot, the constitution cannot be amended.

Finally, a related bit of commentary. Abigail Garner notes that Wednesday’s Mercury News makes an important point about the same-sex marriage debate: the debate itself is harmful to kids. Not only is it bad for children of LGBT parents “to overhear a negative national conversation that says their parents are undermining the moral fabric of this country,” but kids of all backgrounds may feel less safe, given the hostile tone of the rhetoric. This is a seldom- discussed facet of the marriage debate, but a crucial one. Thanks to Abigail for pointing it out.